Chinatown (1974) (Paramount Presents) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Release Date: June 18, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

Jack Nicholson is unforgettable as private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband’s extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night.

Please Note: The release includes ‘Chinatown’ on 4K UHD and its sequel ‘The Two Jakes’ on Blu-ray; therefore the review covers elements and details of both.

‘Chinatown’ joins private eye Jake Gittes who becomes swept up in a haunting tale of adultery, violence and long buried secrets that end up sending him on the case of his career. A simple task of exposing a cheating man quickly turns deadly when he begins to realize nothing is what it seems, including the individual that hired him and that some of the players involved with do anything necessary to keep certain secrets from being exposed. The film’s long-awaited follow-up ‘The Two Jakes’ rejoins Gittes as an adultery case turns to murder and a conspiracy revolving around the world of oil and the riches to be had from securing it.

The acclaimed 1974 masterpiece ‘Chinatown’ was directed by Roman Polanski from an acclaimed screenplay written by Robert Towne. The stellar cast of the film features Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston along with more who each contribute impressive and noteworthy performances in their respective roles that helped tremendously to make this one work as flawlessly as it does.

The long-awaited 1990 follow-up ‘The Two Jakes’ on the other hand was directed by Jack Nicholson from a screenplay once again written by Robert Towne. The cast of the second film includes Nicholson reprising his role as Jake Gittes, along with Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly and Madeleine Stowe who provide solid performances for the most part in each of their respective roles.

‘Chinatown’ was first released into theaters in June of 1974 and the film remains an undeniable cinematic masterpiece that still holds up tremendously in most respects to this day, a whopping five decades since its initial release. A perfect detective tale with flawless performances by the majority of the cast and a script that couldn’t have possibly been any better, not to mention offering one of the most unforgettable endings in cinematic history that concludes with an equally iconic line. If you’ve never had the pleasure of ‘Chinatown’ but enjoy a well-crafted detective film that manages to get everything right, then you’ll want to make a point of rectifying that whenever possible because this one is almost guaranteed to go down in history as one of the best films of its era, and possibly even of all time.

Paramount Home Entertainment brings home the beloved classic ‘Chinatown’ on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever as part of the Paramount Presents line. The release features ‘Chinatown’ in full Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 that brings this cinematic gem home looking better than fans could have imagined, along with a fully capable multichannel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, some noteworthy extras both new and old, as well as the standard collectible packaging featured on the Paramount Presents releases. Just in case that wasn’t enough for some of you, the release also includes the film’s follow-up ‘The Two Jakes’ on Blu-ray which sports a nice full High Definition video presentation that’s complemented by a multichannel DTS-HD MA soundtrack. Altogether this new Paramount Presents release of ‘Chinatown’ should be an absolute treat for fans and for anyone that’s already considering a purchase this one is definitely highly recommended.

VIDEO:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Chinatown’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio on a 4K Ultra HD disc, along with the sequel ‘The Two Jakes’ which is presented in a full 1080p High Definition presentation with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio on a Blu-ray disc.

The 4K Ultra HD disc features ‘Chinatown’ in full 2160p Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision and HDR-10. The following notes were included in the news release regarding the transfer: “The exacting restoration was completed using the original camera negative, which was repaired using the latest technology in areas that had been previously damaged.  The result is a sparkling 4K Ultra HD presentation that uses more of the best possible source than previous masters and faithfully captures the film’s distinctively dreamy and simultaneously realistic look.” The new UHD presentation looks spectacular as a whole and offers a clean, sharp and source faithful presentation that brings the masterpiece home looking better than ever. Detail is outstanding throughout and noticeable on character faces as well as clothing, along with the interior office details and the exterior California scenery which all looks marvelous. The Dolby Vision HDR only boosts the majority of it by contributing some more vivid, lifelike colors noticeable on vehicles, clothing and scenery. Overall, this is a rewarding Ultra High Definition video presentation that should have fans of this classic thrilled.

The Blu-ray disc features ‘The Two Jakes’ in full 1080p High Definition with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. This HD presentation looks solid for the most part as well and is likely identical to the standalone Blu-ray released a few years back (although I don’t have access to that release and therefore can’t confirm for certain) and while the detail and presentation certainly can’t compare with the 4K version of its predecessor, it still showcases the film with likely the best detail and clarity that it’s seen so far. It may not be perfect in every conceivable way, but it holds up well and should satisfy fans.

AUDIO:

The release features a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack on ‘Chinatown’ and a 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack on ‘The Two Jakes’. Both of these multichannel soundtracks provide competent audio presentations that are clean and crisp. While by no means aggressive in the manner of many current films, each still takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, nature and vehicle effects, along with more throughout the various speakers when fitting, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become problematic. Overall, these are both capable multichannel soundtracks that hold up well and should leave fans largely satisfied.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Chinatown’ features some enjoyable extras including a couple of brand new supplements and various previously released extras. The entirety of the bonus material can be found on the 4K ‘Chinatown’ disc. Included is an ‘Audio Commentary by Screenwriter Robert Towne with David Fincher’, along with a few all-new Featurettes including ‘A State of Mind: Author Sam Wasson on Chinatown’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length),’Chinatown Memories’ (running approximately 6 minutes) and ‘The Trilogy That Never Was’ (approximately 2 minutes). Also included are some previously released Featurettes and videos including the three part ‘Water and Power’ (running approximately 78 minutes altogether), plus ‘Chinatown: An Appreciation’ (26 minutes), ‘Chinatown: The Beginning and the End’ (19 minutes), ‘Chinatown: Filming’ (25 minutes) and ‘Chinatown: The Legacy’ (9 minutes). The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (3 minutes) is also included.

*Please note: The first four images above were provided by Paramount and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of ‘Chinatown’ was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. The final two images are taken from the Blu-ray of ‘The Two Jakes’ included in the release; they may suffer quality loss as a result of .jpeg compression. All images are the property of Paramount and any other respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 9/10

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‘Chinatown’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD as Part of the Paramount Presents Line from Paramount Home Entertainment

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You can purchase your copy of ‘Chinatown’ on 4K UHD’ at Amazon HERE!

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